Today, I’m publishing a copy of the essay which clinched the second prize in the 2013 Young & Cerebral Essay Competition (yours sincerely emerged 3rd prize winner). It’s published here with the kind permission of the author, Osita Crownwell.

You can read the first prize winning essay here and the third prize winning essay here.

Abdul Abdullateef (L), yours sincerely (M) and Osita Crownwell (R).

Enjoy…

The journey of Nigeria from a mere geographic expression to an independent country in the past fifty-three years has been an eventful one. However, the journey has not been a bed of roses. We have had our ups and downs; moments of glory as well as moments of despair. This essay seeks to point out some of the problems faced by Nigeria and also proffer solutions to these problems.
I liken the challenges we face as a country to the school examination scenario. In the school setting, the commencement of an examination is an opportunity for the student to be promoted to a higher class. All that is required is for the student to work hard and come out successful. Same principle also applies in our beloved country. The challenges we face as a nation represents a form of “examination”. Therefore, it is left for us to work in unity and overcome these challenges so as to move on to greater heights. Nigeria, in her fifty-three years of existence as an independent country, has faced her fair share of problems. The prominent ones being corruption, terrorism, educational decadence and under-development. But I would like to point out the fact that any country which claims that they have never experienced obstacles or setbacks in the course of their national existence has a lot to worry about. This is
because these obstacles are opportunities in disguise. As soon as they are overcome, progress is achieved. Therefore, I opine that the numerous obstacles we face as a nation are pointers to the fact that we have a bright future.
Proffering solutions to the problems facing Nigeria requires the collective efforts of Nigerians regardless of our tribal or religious backgrounds. Nigeria as a multi-ethnic country should adopt the concept of “Unity in Diversity”. In my opinion, one of the major reasons why we have not been able to tackle our problems effectively is because we are not united. Our drive towards development would be futile if the citizenry do not work in unity. The popular saying goes, “UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL”. The major solution to any obstacle or problems we face as a country is “UNITY”. Our love for one another regardless of our diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds is a major factor in determining how successful our quest for a better future will be. We may not be in our desired “Promised Land” yet. But it takes a conscious, collective effort to achieve our goals. Any goal can be achieved as long as we put our
minds to it. Take a look at the story in the Bible about the building of the tower of Babel. The people were unified in their zeal to achieve a near-impossible venture. It took God’s intervention to stop them from building a tower that will be as high as the heavens. This is the kind of unity we need in Nigeria today.
If all hands are on deck towards making Nigeria a force to reckon with, I see a brighter and better future for Nigerians. I see all Nigerians working together to make our set goals a reality.